Ready or Not
by xXxHEARTxofxICExXx
Summary: Agent Barton thought she was gone for good. But what will happen when his old ghosts are brought back to life? Disclaimer: i don't own the Avengers...just my oc. Hawk/OC
1. Partners

Agent Clint Barton walked to Director Fury's office. It had been relatively quiet in terms of missions lately, since the whole Loki fiasco had wrapped up. He shivered. Even thinking of that man filled him with a hatred so strong it made him want to punch a hole through the concrete wall. Getting a hold of his emotions, he arrived at the Director's office and knocked on the door.

"Enter" came a voice from inside.

"You wanted to see me Director Fury?" asked Barton.

"Yes. I have a new mission for you." Fury said. A spark of curiosity and excitement filled Barton's eyes. He had been rather bored lately. Fury continued, "There are certain documents I need you to recover. They are very important to a current case I am investigating. The rest is classified."

Barton nodded. "Very well. Where will I be recovering these documents from?" he asked.

"They are currently in the possession of a man very high up in the English hierarchy." Fury explained.

"So London?" Barton clarified.

Fury nodded. "His name is Louis Clement and he will be holding a masquerade ball two nights from now. You will attend and recover the information then."

Barton nodded and turned to leave. "I have one other thing I would like to discuss with you Agent Barton, if you don't mind sitting down." Fury said.

Barton stopped and turned. "Of course." Fury gestured to the chair across the desk from where he was sitting. Barton sat.

Fury seemed to hesitate before asking his question. He knew he needed to tread carefully on this subject. "Agent Barton, do you have feelings for Agent Romanoff?" he stated bluntly.

This caught Barton off guard and he started. However, the answer was obvious, to him at least. "No sir. Not romantically at least, which is what I assume you mean. I think of her more as a sister, someone I want to protect, not that she needs it. Why do you ask?"

"I think you know why." Was all Fury said.

And Barton did know why. Because of what Loki had done to him. Under Loki's control he had tried and almost succeeded in killing Natasha. He felt incredibly guilty for that, even though he knew it was not his fault. It would haunt him for the rest of his life.

After a moment, Fury continued. "Is there anyone you may have feelings for that would compromise future missions?"

"No, sir." Barton stood and turned to leave once more.

"Sasha Black?"

Barton whirled around at the sound of that name. He hadn't heard that name in almost five years, ever since he joined SHIELD. He had thought he had buried that deep enough that it would never resurface.

"What?" he managed to splutter out.

"I did a bit of digging. I always do when we get new agents. Her name came up. You were partners correct?" Fury asked.

Barton nodded, still standing. "We were partners, in more ways than one. I loved her." He looked down sadly, remembering. "But why ask about her now." He looked up curiously.

"Like I said, I need to know if I can count on you, or if there are others out there that may compromise you." Fury reiterated.

"And I said there are not." Barton said testily. This conversation had dredged up enough ghosts and he did not wish to continue it.

"So Sasha Black will not be a problem, should you ever run into her again. After all, you may have gone your separate ways, but she may still be working as a spy for another agency."

"Trust me, you won't ever have to worry about Sasha Black compromising me." He said in a deadly tone.

"And why is that?" Fury asked.

"Because Sasha Black is dead." Barton stated simply and sank back into the chair.

This startled Fury. It was not the answer he was expecting. When he had done his digging the files had merely said they had gone their separate ways. Then again, Barton was a highly intelligent spy, it wouldn't surprise him if Barton had buried all of t to save both their names.

"Are you sure?" Fury asked. He had to know before he could let Barton walk out of the room.

Barton refused to cry. He had cried the night she died, and now he was reliving that night. But he refused to let his boss see any more weakness.

"We were the perfect pair." He started. "Perfectly in sync with each other. It's why our boss never split us up, even when we started seeing each other." He laughed a little at that. "We would finish our missions flawlessly and efficiently. Better than any other pair in the agency."

He stopped to get control of his emotions, "But one night, things went horribly wrong. A cliché everyone thinks is funny until it happens to them." He stopped again. "She died in my arms."

He looked at his hands. That was all he could tell.

Fury nodded in slight sympathy. "You may go." He had gotten what he needed.

Barton gave a small nod of thanks and left to prepare for his mission.


	2. When it Went Horribly Wrong

**AN: Any time you see a break in the page (xxxxx) I'm switching between characters.**

**This chapter is a flashback chapter to introduce Sasha a bit better and to explain the first chapter a little more. Enjoy!**

**xxxxx**

"**We were the perfect pair. Perfectly in sync with each other."**

_Barton shot the guards blocking the entrance to the home of their current target. 'Their' being his partner, Sasha, and himself. He laughed internally._ 'Did they really think that a few guards would slow us down?' _Of course not. They obviously didn't think at all._

_Barton watched from his perch on one of the watch towers as Sasha strolled easily inside the building. From his current location, he could see everything he needed to, from the path he knew his partner would take, to the target, staring in horror at the monitors while his imminent death approached. The fool had made his hallways out of glass, so vision was not a problem._

_Barton's job was to take out any obstacles in Sasha's way, and his partner would finish the job. Their tactic never failed. And tonight would not be the night it would either._

_Their target was being predictable, summoning all the guards on the premises to guard the door to his room. Idiot. Barton took them out easily. And the ones he couldn't see? Well, there was a reason Sasha was called Panther. Moving lithely, she dodged any oncoming attacks and with a swift movement, slit their throats and stabbed them through the heart._

_She would _never _underestimate an opponent. _

_And no matter what job they were on, she always knew his location, despite him not telling her, and she always knew his blind spots. She knew which targets he couldn't see. Although, usually they would drop as soon as they came into her line of sight if he could see them. _

_Barton watched as Sasha paused at the door. Not out of fear, but anticipation. She had no qualms about killing for a job. The people they were sent for were typically the worst of the worst, and that, she felt, justified her actions._

_Turning the knob she ducked and rolled into the room swiftly, dodging the bullets that would have pierced her chest otherwise. _

_Standing up, Sasha dashed forward and swung herself over the desk between her and her prey, kicking the gun out of his hand and forcing him to hit the ground on his back, Sasha straddling him as she plunged her knife into his chest._

"**We would finish our missions flawlessly and efficiently. Better than any other pair in the agency."**

_Sasha stood up and looked in Barton's direction, giving him a thumbs up and a wide smile to signal the job was done. Barton leapt from his perch and ran to meet her at the car, where he knew she'd be waiting._

_**xxxxx**_

_Sasha arrived at the car before Barton did and changed from her skintight spandex suit to a pair of denim shorts and a black tank top. She let her waist length black hair down from the tight bun she kept it in for jobs, to a loose, high pony tail. She turned around and leaned against the car as Barton rounded the corner._

"_Another flawless mission." She said, with a slightly cocky tone._

_Barton laughed, "As always." He indulged her and leaned forward to give her a quick kiss. Sasha smiled._

"_We do a wonderful job and that's all I get?" she asked with a small pout and a teasing edge in her voice. It was enough. Barton leaned in and kissed her again with all the emotions he never showed in front of anyone else. She pulled away, gasping for air._

"_Now that's more like it." She laughed. "What do you say we go celebrate a job well done?"_

_Barton smiled. "And where would you like to go?" he inquired._

"_Food?" she asked innocently, even though she was everything but._

_Barton chuckled and agreed. An hour later they were sitting in a nice restaurant, in better clothes, enjoying some of the money they had pulled in from the job they had just finished._

_Halfway through the dinner Sasha's phone rang. Knowing immediately that it was another job, she pulled out her phone, interrupting Barton in the middle of his sentence. _'Another one, already?'

"**But one night, things went horribly wrong"**

_The job was to break into a building that was known to be the meeting place of a drug cartel and take out as many of the dealers as possible. Even better, take out the leader. The more they killed, the more they got paid._

_Easy enough. They had done similar jobs in the past for people all over the world._

_Sasha and Barton changed into the field clothes they kept in the car at all times and drove to the address they were given. Parking a little ways down the street, they noticed at least ten armored guards in sight, five outside and five more in the widows._

_Barton cursed. If this many were outside, then who knows what was waiting inside. Unfortunately, they had no time to scope the place. The meeting only lasted a few more hours and then their chance would be gone. They had to do this tonight._

_Barton let Sasha out of the car and she slipped into the shadows as he drove the car around until he found an access point to the building across the street. From there he would take out the ten visible guards then progress inside with Sasha._

_Sasha waited in the dark and watched as the visible guards dropped silently and smiled. That was her Clint, quick and efficient. She heard him come up behind her and moved forward stealthily with him close behind and entered the building, Sasha with her ten inch knives ready, Barton with his bow raised._

_But they were met with no opposition._

_Confused and wary they continued down the hall to where they heard voices. The room they found was a large library, two floors, with guards posted every ten feet on the second floor, which looked down on the first where a group of seven men now huddled, talking._

_The guards counted about thirty, all armed with guns. The dealers heavily armed as well. Barton swore again softly and started to edge up the stairs. Sasha stayed outside and waited for her cue._

_Barton successfully got up the stairs without being seen and began to take out the guards, the ones closest first. He had killed about seven before the uproar began._

_The guards across the ring began shooting, while those closer to him ran at him. Sasha, still downstairs heard the noise. _'That's my cue.'_ She thought, and ran into the room. _

_Sasha took out smaller daggers and launched them at two of the dealers. They fell. She repeated the action once…twice more. Now only the leader of the cartel stood, weapon raised. She ran at him when she heard Barton yell. She faltered and her target fired._

_**xxxxx**_

_Barton held his own with the guards on the second floor. Gunshots rang out around him, but nothing had hit him so far. Three guards left when a bullet tore through his shoulder. He yelled in outrage and shot the gun he rarely used, killing him instantly. He heard another gunshot ring out but didn't see the other two guards holding anything._

'Sasha' _he punched the other two guards in the face, killing them with the force of the blows and looked down over the railing, arrow notched. The sight horrified him._

_Sasha was laying on the ground, bleeding from her chest, the leader, and the only man still standing, holding a gun to her head. _

_He yelled in fury and without thinking, sent the arrow trough the man's skull._

_He ran down the steps and knelt beside Sasha, cradling her head. "Sasha, come on. Stay with me." He pleaded. But he knew it was no use. Her wound was fatal._

_She smiled up at him softly, blood dripping down her lips and chin as her heart furiously pumped._

"_I'm sorry." She gurgled._

"_No." gasped Clint. "No. Don't be sorry. You'll be fine." A tear slipped down his face without permission._

"_I love you." She gasped and closed her eyes._

_Barton sobbed. "I love you too." He said desperately. He felt her hart stop beating. Saw her chest stop moving as her breathing stopped and heard sirens in the distance._

_Placing one final kiss on her lips, Barton stood. The police would be here soon. Someone head probably heard the shooting and called them. He needed to leave so this wouldn't be connected to him._

_He couldn't take her with him, so he said his final goodbyes. He already knew there would be no funeral. Not for an assassin. And he left._

"_**She died in my arms."**_

"_**Sasha Black is dead."**_

_**xxxxx **_

**A quick thanks to those of you who have already followed my story and added it to their favorites. I hope you continue to enjoy it!**

**AN: I will try to update as often as I can, but I'm about to go back to school, so it may be a while. Just a warning in advance. The good news is I already have the next two chapters planned! Now I just have to type them up… **


	3. Enter, Sasha Black

**Back to the present…**

Sasha sat bolt upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat. She had had a nightmare about that horrific night again. You would think that after nearly five years that those nightmares would go away. She should be so lucky.

And the thing that haunted her the most?

The look of utter sadness and loss that was on Clint Barton's face as she lost consciousness for what they had both though would be the last time.

But she hadn't died that night and she was surprised when she woke up in a hospital handcuffed to the bed she was in. She had of course, picked the lock easily and snuck out of the hospital as quickly as possible. She had finished patching up her wound herself.

The bullet had pierced her chest only an inch above her heart. Luckily, the hospital had removed the bullet and had done most of the stitching, so it only took some minor maintenance and care not to rip the stiches out on her part.

After that, her one and only goal had been to seek out and track down Clint. He had to know she was alive. If she knew him at all, she knew that he would blame himself for the rest of his life if she didn't find him.

She searched for two whole years, but to no avail. He had wiped his slate and disappeared from the map. Even a skilled agent such as her couldn't dredge anything up, and she was the best. He had covered everything up perfectly.

And after two years, she finally gave up. She had searched through every known agency worldwide. Clint would never stop working. It would be the only thing that kept him going. But no matter how many agencies she hacked, no matter how many people she "interrogated" her searches came up empty.

So, she wiped her slate and created a brand new persona. Then, she had moved to London. What better way to make a new start than to move to a new city? So now, here she was, in London, working for the English embassy.

She now went by Genevieve Noire and she had successfully managed to work her way up the social hierarchy in London, until she was one of the most respected people around. It made it easy to complete the jobs she did and provided for an easy cover.

She had perfected her accent and no one, not even her boss, was any the wiser to her bloody past.

Sasha was broken out of her revelry when her cell phone rang. "Noire."

"Genevieve," started her boss, Ms. Blake, "we have a new mission for you." She paused and without waiting for a response, continued with the assignment.

"It is a simple recovery mission. You have received an invitation to a masquerade ball at the home of Louis Clement. You will attend and recover the information located on his personal computer."

Sasha nodded to herself and said, "Easy enough. Anything else?"

"Yes." Ms. Blake continued, "I have been notified that an American agent from an unknown agency will be there as well to recover the same information. You are to stop him at any cost. We cannot have this information fall into the wrong hands."

"Of course." Sasha agreed.

"That is all." Her boss concluded, and hung up promptly.

_A male American agent. This will be fun._

She would never stop to hope that it would be Clint. The odds were too much against her and she couldn't stand to have her hopes dashed again. She had had enough of that during the two years she had searched for him everywhere.

Thinking about the ball, she smiled. She had been invited over a month ago. As a close friend of Louis, she was always one of the highest on his lengthy guest list. He threw the most extravagant parties in the entire country and they were some of the few that she actually enjoyed attending. It was a shame that she would be attending this one with a mission in mind.

She sighed. Even more reason to finish it quickly.

It's not as if it would be difficult. Louis had been blatantly in love with her for nearly a year and a half now. She just didn't have the heart to call him on it yet. Also, she couldn't risk that friendship by giving him her rejection. He was too important in the game that was her life.

But there would only ever be one man for her.

She thought back to mission at hand. She always enjoyed the ones where she had an unknown opponent. It was like a game. _Who will win?_

Most of her assignments consisted of previously chosen targets that she would be told to either interrogate or kill. Never was she sent to recover people, though sometimes she was given assignments, like this one, to recover information. That was rare for her though. It was even rarer for her to not know what she was up against.

She wondered briefly if this unknown man knew he has an opponent in this game. She guessed not. She worked for the most secret, hidden, underground organization in all of Europe. They never let anything slip. And on the off chance they did, it was quickly controlled and disposed of.

_No, he doesn't know I'm coming._

She smiled in anticipation.

_Ready or not? This was going to be fun._

**xxxxx**

**Please review. It helps my motivation. :D**


	4. Welcome to My Masquerade

**Time for the masquerade ball! The bold, italicized words are the song that's playing in the background. (The song is Masquerade by Robosoul for those of you who want to know.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the song.**

**xxxxx**

Agent Barton had arrived at the ball all of five minutes ago and had been blown away.

He looked around the extravagant room he was currently standing in. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling in the beautiful ballroom to which he had been directed. The walls were painted a rich shade of deep red and they had gold trimming which gave the room a truly regal feeling.

There was a large table filled with food and drinks off to east side of the room. However, no one was taking anything, so he figured it must only be there to give the host, and his target, an air of generosity.

He had entered the room through the back, considering he had no invitation, but he watched as the more important guests were announced as they entered through an elaborate pair of doors and descended down a flight of stairs.

It was truly beautiful…but he couldn't get distracted. He had a job to do. He figured if he could finish it without a hitch, as he expected, then he would reward himself by enjoying this party for a while, or at least until he got caught.

He turned to sneak off to the library where he was sure Clement's personal computer would be when he heard the sound of another guest being announced. He paused to look and found himself staring. _Who is that?_

**xxxxx**

Sasha placed the finishing touches on her outfit before heading outside to take the limo that Louis had kindly sent for her.

Her outfit was relatively simple. She wore a floor-length black dress that poofed out at her hips. It had spaghetti straps and sleeves that didn't cover her shoulders but draped across her biceps. A thick turquoise blue sash was tied in a side bow around her wait to give the outfit some color. Her hair fell to her waist in a waterfall of wavy black silk. A large diamond pin held her hair up slightly in the back. The pin also contained the flash drive she would need for the information.

And her mask…it was black with lace around the edges that covered the bridge of her nose and her cheekbones. They enhanced her already radiant blue eyes.

She looked perfect. And to anyone who she deemed a threat, disarmingly beautiful.

The limo pulled up in front of the gorgeous mansion and she entered and walked to where she knew the ballroom was. Upon her entry, all eyes turned to her as her name was announced.

"Presenting Miss Genevieve Noire." The announcer said as she descended the stairs.

As she continued down, she scanned the crowd, hoping to see if she could identify her spy when she met a pair of beautiful grey-blue eyes. Her gaze froze but she made herself keep walking.

_Clint_

He wore a black tuxedo with a blue tie. One that matched perfectly with her sash. His mask covered the entire right side of his face, save for his eye and mouth. He looked dashing.

She smirked and when he noticed her staring back, he averted his gaze and turned to walk away. She reached the bottom of the stairs and was about to approach him when Louis caught her arm.

"Care to dance?" he asked. "I think it's time this party got started."

She smiled and agreed. A pop song began overhead and he swept her into a waltz.

**xxxxx **

_**Hiding, behind a disguise**_

_**Can you feel me watching you?**_

Agent Barton watched the girl, Genevieve, dance with Clement from across the room. She had caught him staring and had smirked at him. Embarrassed, he had turned away. Now, he watched with renewed curiosity. There was something distinctly familiar about her and he would find out what. Then he would complete his mission.

Barton walked closer to the girl and her partner and hovered around the edges of the dance floor so as not to disturb the other dancers that had joined their host.

Clement seemed to be making some unwanted advances upon the woman. However he did not seem to notice she was subtly trying to shut him down. In fact, he doubted anyone else in this room could tell besides him. She was hiding it well.

Carefully, he advanced across the dance floor and tapped Clement on the shoulder.

**xxxxx**

_**It's magic, that I'm lost in your spell**_

_**But you don't even have a clue**_

"May I cut in?" Sasha heard a voice say. She and Louis paused and she turned to see Clint standing behind her. He glanced at her but kept his gaze on Louis. He nodded reluctantly and stepped back.

She smiled lightly and took his outstretched hand.

"I could tell you weren't having much fun with him." He whispered to her so that the other guests couldn't hear. "I hope I am more pleasing company."

"You are perceptive." She said airily with her English accent. _Does he recognize me?_

"Thank you." He smiled. "My name is Aaron."

_That would be a no._ Well alright, she could play this game. "Genevieve." She responded.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said as he twirled her to the music flawlessly. "I must say, you are quite lovely." He said, ever the gentleman.

She smiled, then realized what he was doing. He was creating a cover. When this was all said and done, she would give him his alibi. She, Genevieve that is, was nothing to him. Any other girl would have fallen for it, as many had in the past. But she had caught the glint in his eye, the one that said he didn't care for her, she was just a means to an end, and she felt briefly sorry for all those past girls.

That feeling was quickly destroyed by joy. She, Sasha, was still the only girl for him.

_**That I am hypnotized**_

_**Yeah, I'm drawn to your light**_

"Are you enjoying the party?" she asked.

Slightly startled, he recovered and said, "Yes. Very much."

"I am glad. Louis is a close friend of mine. Though I fear he has fallen in love with me. But I care for him too much to break his heart, so I delay his advances instead of rejecting him." She lied. "Though I must thank you for your assistance. I am not quite in the mood to deal with that tonight."

He smiled his false smile. "You are quite welcome. It is nice that I could come to the aid of a damsel in distress." He joked.

She leaned in closer to his ear and whispered, "Do you think I need saving, Aaron?"

Slightly flustered, both at her words and her proximity, he leaned back. "Of course not." She raised her eyebrow. "You seem to be an incredibly strong woman. I don't think there is much that you can't handle." He recovered quickly.

She smirked. "You think very highly of someone you just met."

"I am good at reading people. It is in the way you carry yourself and in the way you handle others." He said in all seriousness. "But that doesn't mean that every once in a while you don't need someone to save you." He said softly.

_**I just want to see your face**_

_**Welcome to my masquerade**_

Her eyes widened slightly. "How can you be so sure?" she asked just as softly.

"Because everyone does at some point." He answered. And she knew immediately what he was thinking about.

_Who had been the one to save you when I wasn't there?_

She reached her hand up and placed it on the side of his face, over his mask. Slowly, she pulled the mask off his face. He didn't try to stop her. They had stopped dancing. As the mask came off she saw the sadness in his face in its entirety. He was broken.

Her Clint was broken, because of her.

But before she could say anything, he realized what was happening and recoiled, grabbing his mask and putting it back on quickly.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see the face of the man who can speak so deeply. You are unafraid to speak the truth." She said.

"No." he responded, "I'm sorry. I have to go. I shouldn't have taken so much of you time." He pulled away. "Goodbye Genevieve." He turned away.

"Goodbye Clint." She whispered.

**Wohoo! Cliffhanger! Sorry, I was going to have the big reunion scene in here, but the chapter ended up being longer than I had intended, so I split it. Next chapter, I promise!**


	5. Games

**Second verse of the same song…**

**xxxxx**

_**Who are you?**_

_**What is your name?**_

_**Is this a two-faced game?**_

"Goodbye Clint." He heard the girl behind him whisper…without an accent.

Clint froze. He whirled around.

She was gone.

**xxxxx**

As soon as she had whispered his name Sasha vanished into the crowd. She knew just how good his hearing was and she knew that he was searching the room for her this very minute.

He wouldn't find her though. That was one of the things she could do better than him and she had perfected it. No one could find her if she didn't want to be found. And right now she had a mission to do.

She made her way around the edge of the crowd to avoid Louis whom she knew would be in the center of the crowd and made as if she was headed for the restroom. Once she was safely out of the ballroom, she made her way to the library and Louis' computer.

She skirted around corners, expertly avoiding other people who were either lost or up to another agenda. The advantage to be well known in her society was that she was invited to parties often and knew the layout of almost every house inside out. It made any infiltration exponentially easier, especially when she was not given enough forewarning on her assignments to study floor plans.

She arrived at the library. As she went in she scanned the room to make sure no one else was in there. She made especially certain to check the spots she had immediately identified as the places that Clint would hide to check for interference.

The library was one large room that was two stories high and formed a circle. It was eerily similar to the room she had been shot in and it always made her shiver. Ladders rested in odd spots around the room from where someone had gotten a book.

When she cleared the room she walked quickly to the far end where she was sure the computer would be and removed the pin from her hair and pulled the flash drive out and plugged it in. She was so focused, she didn't hear the door open and another person come in.

**xxxxx**

_**It's tragic, cause after tonight**_

_**My heart will never be the same**_

He didn't know who the girl he had just been dancing with was, Genevieve, but he knew that wasn't her true name if she knew his. He also knew that he had to finish his mission. Soon. Before something else happened. For all he knew, she was an agent from another agency. If that was the case he had to beat her to it, or die trying.

He slipped out of the ballroom and made his way quickly to the library. He'd had to memorize floor plans quickly so as to finish his mission more efficiently, but he still got lost a few times.

Finally, he arrived. He opened the door softly and slipped inside making sure no one saw him. Once he was in, he quickly made his way up the stairs to the second story to clear the room. As he went up the stairs he shivered and his mid flashed to the night Sasha had died. This room looked almost exactly the same. He hated it.

He looked around and was only slightly surprised to see Genevieve in the corner, leaning over the computer. He made his way over silently and jumped over the rail, landing behind her silently, prepared for a fight.

**xxxxx**

Sasha cursed inwardly. She heard the slight rush of air behind her and knew Clint was crouched there. She ducked and a foot went sailing over her head.

"Who are you?" he asked as she turned around. No, demanded.

Sasha smirked. "I am your opponent for the night." She threw a punch at his face. He moved too slow and it hit him in the jaw. "Ready or not?" she giggled.

"Ready." He said and aimed a kick at her chest. She caught it and spun him so he landed on the ground on his back. She dropped on top of him, her hands pinning his arms and her legs holding his. She reached up and playfully removed his mask and tossed it aside.

She leaned down and whispered in his ear, "You sure?"

He used his larger body mass and flipped them so he was holding her down. "What is your name? Who do you work for?" he tried again.

She head-butted him and he let go. "You know my name." she threw a side kick at his head and he fell.

He glared at her from the floor. "Genevieve is not you real name." He got up.

"That's not what I meant." She laughed again and dropped her accent.

While she was distracted, he threw a punch and hit her in the face, whipping her head to the side. She looked back at him slowly and continued laughing, lower now.

"What game are you playing?" he growled.

"Who said I was playing a game?" she retorted, wiping the blood running from her split lip. "Maybe I'm just having fun."

"This is fun for you?" he looked aghast.

_**And I am hypnotized**_

_**Yeah, I'm drawn to your eyes**_

"Of course" she agreed. "It always has been."

He looked at her desperately. "Who are you?" he said again.

She sighed. "Have you not figured it out yet?" he looked at her, lost. She raised her hand and he flinched, ready to fight. "Relax." She said, and pulled down her dress to reveal a jagged scar in the form of a circle, over her heart. At the same time, she took her other hand and pulled off her mask.

"It's me." She smiled softly.

**xxxxx**

"No." Clint said. "It's not possible." His legs gave out and he sat down hard on the ground. The apparition before him could not be Sasha. He had watched her die. She had no pulse. She wasn't breathing._ She was dead._

"It's me." She repeated.

"Sasha." He said and looked up at her. "Why didn't you find me?"

"I tried." She said "I tried for two years. I looked everywhere for you. But I found nothing." She laughed softly. "You always were better at hiding your tracks than me."

Clint stood up and walked over to her, searching her face. She looked almost the same, with a few differences that came with not seeing her for five years. It wasn't possible. She couldn't be back, she was dead. _It wasn't possible._

He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her up against the wall, suddenly furious.

"It's not possible. Sasha Black is dead."

Sasha gasped and made her best attempt to shake her head. "No" was all she could say.

"Then prove it." He growled. She clawed at his hand and he lessened his grip on her, but kept her pinned to the wall. She gasped for air.

"We always swore that if one of us got hurt or killed in the field that we would protect ourselves first. Then after, once everything had cooled down, we would do everything in our power to find the other or to move on." She said. "I kept my end of that pact."

_**I just want to see your face**_

_**Welcome to my masquerade**_

Shocked, Clint stepped back and dropped his hand. They had made that deal so long ago, and now he was hearing about it again. It was her. "Sasha. I thought you were gone for so long." He gasped and pulled her into a hug. "I love you." He whispered, all the feelings he had restrained rushing back.

She pulled back. "I love you." She said back. "I'm here now."

He crashed his lips to hers.

**There will probably be only one or two more chapters.**

**Thanks to those of you who read this far. A special thanks to JohnnyStormsGirl, daeb, WolfDarkfur, and Jessie for your reviews. They've helped a lot.**


	6. Never Again

**LAST CHAPTER!**

**For those of you who waited for this, I am sorry it took so long.**

xxxxx

Sasha and Clint parted, both gasping for breath. "I can't believe it's really you." Clint sighed and pecked Sasha once more on the lips. As he pulled back, he couldn't help but stare at the woman he had thought was dead for the past two years. "You're here." He breathed softly.

Sasha smiled softly at the man so captured by her at the moment. "I'm here." She whispered again.

Clint's face morphed from its shocked expression and hardened in determination. "And I don't intend on letting you go again." He said fiercely giving her a look that set her heart on fire. "Not ever." Sasha grinned.

"Good."

However, their moment was soon interrupted by the sound of shouting and loud footsteps moving quickly down the hall toward the library. The group seemed to be led by Louis.

"In here. The library." He yelled to what could only be the guards he kept readily staffed.

Clint and Sasha cursed. "We have to get out of here. Now." Clint insisted. He would not be forced to relive the despair he had suffered two years ago. Nor did he have any intention of making Sasha experience even a fraction of that loss. _Never again._

Clint grabbed Sasha's hand and began pulling her towards the stairs that led to the second floor of the library, from where he had recently jumped.

"There is another door up here." He stated. "We can get out that way." Sasha nodded and followed quickly making sure to grab the flash drive that contained the intel that she had been sent to retrieve.

No sooner had they shut the door behind them did the guards thunder into the library in search of the thieves.

Clint and Sasha glanced at each other once out of the immediate danger and their faces split into matching, face-splitting grins.

"See Clint? This is fun." She laughed, her excitement infecting him, causing him to chuckle. At that, they took off running down the hall, knowing they only had a matter of seconds before the door behind them opened and they were caught.

Removing her heels, Sasha took the lead, guiding Clint down the long halls around so many twists and turns that he was sure they were going to get lost. However, just as he was beginning to doubt her, they ran through a door that spat them out into the garden. They paused to catch their breath.

"How did you know where to go?" he inquired between deep breaths.

Sasha managed a giggle and replied, "There are advantages to being well known in society." She paused, "Not to mention, being the object of Louis' fancy."

Clint's eyes went big and the suggestive expression on Sasha's face before she erupted in another fit of giggles. He calmed down realizing she would never allow him to act on such feelings.

While he processed this, Sasha managed to reign in her giddiness and spoke seriously. "So Barton," she said, holding out her hand, "how about we get out of here?"

"I couldn't agree more." He said, taking the outstretched hand.

**xxxxx**

Sasha had a car parked not far off from where they had left the mansion through the garden. She always made sure to have a getaway vehicle nearby on missions, should anything go wrong. Inside she kept anything she might possibly need for living on the run for a week, including a change of clothes which she promptly got out and began to change out of the dress.

Glancing back at Burton, she smirked to see him staring with a slight tint of red on his cheeks. "Enjoying the view?" she asked, innocently enough, snapping him out of his thoughts.

When his gaze lifted to hers he found himself with a face full of clothes. "You can put these on." She said as he looked to find a basic white t-shirt and some jeans. "I keep them for the rare occasions I have a partner on a case. They should fit you."

Nodding his thanks, Clint turned around to change himself. When he was finished, he turned to find Sasha still smirking at him wearing a blue v-neck and black cargo shorts, having kept the pin/flash drive in her hair, giving him an appraising look.

"Enjoying the view?" he teased and walked over to her, kissing her deeply. _God, how he had missed that._

When he pulled away, Sasha's expression had changed from one of fun and mischief to one of pure seriousness. "I'm going to leave my agency." She stated "Now that I finally have you back, I have no intention of being away from you."

Clint gave her a soft smile. "I agree completely." He said lovingly, pressing their foreheads together. "But what will you do for a job?" he questioned. "As soon as you go off the grid here, your agency will come looking for you."

Sasha looked at him "I had intended to get a job at S.H.I.E.L.D." she replied. "And I have just the incentive." She added, pointing to the pin in her hair.

Agent Barton nodded and smiled before finally registering everything she had said. When he did his expression shifted to one of surprise.

"How did you know I worked for S.H.I.E.L.D?" he inquired. "I thought you said you couldn't find out where I was."

"I stumbled upon S.H.I.E.L.D only recently." She replied. "However, no matter how hard I tried, I could not gain access to their data bases. It was rather frustrating really." She sighed. "They were the only agency whose data I could not hack. After I saw you at the party earlier, I realized that must be where you were hiding, since I had not found any traces of you elsewhere."

Clint blinked at her and her trademark smirk returned. "Not to mention the fact that you just gave it away when I mentioned it." She teased.

This time, Clint returned her expression. "Well, Sasha, it seems as though you have beat me." He replied, reaching out to pull her to him.

Sasha quickly dodged his grip and danced to the driver's side door. "Time to go, Barton" she said, laughing. "Coming with me?"

Barton dropped his hand and moved to get in the car, sliding into the passenger side. "Always."


	7. Epilogue

It had been a year since Sasha had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. And in that short amount of time, she had quickly established herself as one of the better, if not the best, assassins in the agency, earning herself the nickname 'Panther' for her trademark black spandex suit and the way she could so stealthily complete missions, moving like a cat.

She had also been put in charge of weeding through the incoming recruits, along with Barton when he had the time, to determine who was determined enough for the job. She had sent quite a few grown men running home.

That morning she had been in the weight room, training, when one of her newer trainees came towards her, looking slightly nervous. Dropping the bar she had been benching she looked over at him.

"Can I help you?" she asked, rather irritated at being interrupted.

The man, _Alex ,I think his name was,_ stiffened and saluted. "Yes ma'am. Director Fury would like to see you ma'am." He stated.

Sasha grinned at the respect she had earned herself in the short time she had been there and responded. "Thank you. You are dismissed." The soldier nodded and walked off.

Grabbing a towel she had nearby, she made an attempt at cleaning herself off and made her way to Fury's office, twisting the silver band she now wore around her left ring finger. She never took it off unless the mission required undercover work that mandated that she appear single.

When arriving at Director Fury's office, she notice that the door was open and proceeded to enter, only somewhat surprised to see Clint already in the office, seated across from the Director himself. Closing the door behind her, Sasha dropped into the other chair, sparing a glance at Clint, corners of her mouth lifting at the sight of the matching silver band on his finger.

"Good." Director Fury started, grabbing her attention. "Now that you are both here, I have a mission for you two." He continued. "As the two best agents I have, I need you to go undercover together. The details are case sensitive." He said, sliding a packet towards them. "Everything you need to know is in this envelope. Look it over together when you have time." He instructed.

Barton and Sasha nodded. "I trust you two will be able to handle this professionally." Fury asked, looking at them intently.

"Of course, sir." Clint said as Sasha replied, "Absolutely."

"Good. You are dismissed." With that Barton and Sasha stood up and exited his office, they turned to look at each other.

"This is the first time you and I have been paired on a mission together since I started here." Sasha said, excited.

Barton chuckled. "Just like old times." He responded, and pulled her in for a kiss.

Once they separated Sasha skipped out of his reach, going to prepare for their mission. Halfway down the hall she turned back to face him, frowning when she saw that he was still standing where she left him, smiling softly at her.

Barton didn't think her would ever get tired of how excited she got before a mission. He loved to see her happy.

Grinning, she yelled down the hall at him, "Ready or not, Clint?"

Barton's smile broke into a mirroring smile. "Ready." He said, more to himself, and took off after her.


End file.
